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My new bike
I bought a new bike today. I’ve wanted this one for years and finally saved enough (and found a good enough excuse to spend the $$) to get it. I moved to Miramar late last year and, while I love my little Bianchi mixte, she’s just a bit small to be comfortable for the entire 10km commute. Plus a mixte has similar geometry to a road bike, and I find them a hard on my neck. So I haven’t been riding for a while and, surprise surprise, I got sick this winter for the first time in years.
Comfort won’t be an issue with the new bike. It’s a couch with pedals. And it’s huge. I rode it home from Burkes and I could see over the top of most of the traffic.
It wasn’t cheap – $2,300 on the ticket but Ben at Burkes gave it to me for $2,000. Considering what I spend on bus fares I’ve worked out that it will pay for itself in a year – or a little more cos I’ll still be on the bus on the super windy days!
So what do I get for my money? Heaps. 28 inch wheels, dynamo lighting front & rear, fully enclosed chain case, coat guard, 8 internal gears (no more derailleur!) Axa lock, parcel rack, Brooks saddle, leather grips, mudguards with front mudflap, and an awesome ding-dong bell.
It’s not light, and getting it in my slightly tricky front door takes a bit of effort, but the weight makes it very stable.
On the way home from the bike shop I ran into a friend who took it for a spin. He commented that riding it is an entirely different mindset than riding a mountain or road bike, even one set up as a commuter. He’s right. Somehow – and this is a bit odd – it doesn’t feel like ‘riding a bike’. It just feels like transport. I can’t quite explain it, except to say that I now totally get the European bemusement with ‘bike riding’. It is an entirely different experience.
Heaven, thy name is Gazelle.
About LisaLisa Black started riding bikes again in 2010 after a 15 year hiatus. She’s still getting the hang of it and rides mainly along the waterfront and (carefully) through the city. Lisa has a new appreciation of shortcuts and alleyways, and rides a mixte frame because she can do it in a frock.
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Hilleke
July 7, 2012 at 7:40 pm
Congratulations! (I’m sure that’s appropriate)
I’ve had my eye on that bike too. Love how they feel to ride – you set off smiling and continue the whole ride. Enjoy it. I’m a wee bit jealous!
Lisa
July 7, 2012 at 8:27 pm
Thank you! You’re quite right, I was smiling all the way home. And back out again to the grocer’s, because, you know, four blocks is too far to walk when you have a new bike.
Jim Syyap
July 8, 2012 at 8:58 am
That is such a lovely bike. I’m thinking of getting a bicycle for my partner–might get her something like that.
Unity Finesmith
July 8, 2012 at 6:37 pm
Wow, that looks gorgeous Lisa! A girl can never have too many bicycles and that one’s a beaut!
Patrick Morgan, Cycling Advocates Network
July 9, 2012 at 3:59 pm
Mmmm-mmm.
Riding this bike is good evidence for the Mary Poppins effect (http://www.londoncyclist.co.uk/the-mary-poppins-effect/)
I felt sedate, in control, graceful. I reckon other road users see an upright, ‘normal’ looking person and adjust their driving/cycling style.
Say goodbye to strained neck, back or wrists. Byebye to damp shoes. No more dropped chains or rattly gears.
Say hello to a new lease on your cycling life.
The future is Dutch.
Dolores Hoy
July 23, 2012 at 9:17 pm
Saw you gliding along on the new bike the other day – on a velo shaped hovercraft!